Riverside PArk
In 1857, John Gallup purchased a 54 acre grove of white pines with a fine meadow leading down to the Connecticut river. In 1870 he built several pavilions and amusements and opened “Gallup’s Grove.” He launched the steamboat Mayflower that year to transport guests to the grove, and later, the larger River Belle as the crowds grew.
In 1881, Gallup sold the grove and River Belle to Harvey Porter, who, in 1887 sold the property to Henry Smith and his son, Elmer, who renamed it Riverside Grove. The Smiths operated another popular camping and picnic area, Calla Shasta, and had built the 50-foot steamboat Calla, and larger Calla II to transport patrons to their property, just north of Gallup’s Grove. Calla II proved inadequate, and Smith constructed the 78-foot, double-deck, Mascot in 1885. By 1900, a larger boat was needed, and the 92-foot, 350 passenger Sylvia was launched.
A trolley line was constructed on Agawam’s Main Street south to the Connecticut state line by the Springfield Street Railway in 1900, and soon up to a dozen trolley cars could be seen travelling back and forth loaded with picnickers headed for Riverside on most Summer days.
Elmer Smith sold the grove and the Sylvia to prominent Springfield businessman and civic leader Henry J. Perkins in July, 1911. Perkins transformed the property into a “first class recreation resort” with an open-air dance hall, giant “dip” coaster, merry-go-round, a new entrance and a parking lot for automobiles. The grove section of the park was improved and could now accommodate 3,000 diners.
The park opened for the 1912 season as Riverside Park. A roller skating rink and enormous 300’ diameter swimming pool known as Lake Takadip would be built in the coming years.
Perkins died in 1927 and the park was sold to settle his estate. The new Agawam Amusement Corporation created a second main entrance and additional automobile parking, but the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing economic crisis took their toll on the park. In 1931 the park slid into foreclosure and saw limited openings over the next several years. By 1935, the park was idle and back taxes began to accumulate.
In March 1936, the park’s ballroom, on the bank of the Connecticut River, received considerable damage due to extensive flooding. In May, the Town of Agawam began foreclosure proceedings on the property. In December, 1936, the owners paid $15,000 toward the $24,000 tax bill owed.
Things began to turn around in 1937, when Joseph P. McMahon of Springfield opened the Riverside Park-In Outdoor Theater, the first drive-in theater in western Massachusetts, on the site of the filled-in swimming pool. An announced August 1939 reopening of the park itself did not occur.
In October, 1939, Edward J. Carroll, who had arrived from Boston the previous year to manage the Park-In Theater, purchased the park for $31,000.
Carroll planned to reopen the park, rebuild the roller skating rink and dance pavilion, and improved fare at the Park-In Theater. He promised to have “No. 1 Name Bands” booked for the dancing season, and stated that Riverside Park will be “the public’s park.”
On Wednesday night, May 29, 1940, a crowd “running into five figures” joined the dedication ceremonies of the reopened Riverside Park. By 8:30 pm, traffic was backed up almost four miles on Main Street from the park to the Agawam-West Springfield bridge, and three miles on River Road to the South End Bridge.
There was no roller coaster at Riverside that opening season, but Carroll had made arrangements to purchase the plans, cars and tracks from the World’s Fair for what was to open as the Cyclone in 1941 and later (and still) known as the Thunderbolt roller coaster.
Riverside’s beloved dance hall, the largest in New England was replaced with the Riverside Speedway in 1948. Opened as a one-fifth of a mile track and later enlarged to a quarter mile, stock car races at the Speedway became a huge part of Riverside’s popularity.
Ed Carroll built Riverside Park into the largest amusement park in New England, and operated the park until his death in 1979, when his son, Edward J. Carroll, Jr. assumed ownership.
A proposal to open a riverboat casino and high-rise hotel at Riverside Park was soundly defeated in 1994 by nearly 70% of Agawam voters.
The park was sold to Premier Parks in 1996 for a reported $22.5 million, and opened the following year as Riverside - The Great Escape, with nearly $30 million of renovations and new attractions. Premier Parks invested $100 million in upgrades over the next several years, and rebranded the park as Six Flags New England in 2000. The “Superman Ride of Steel” roller coaster, the tallest on the East Coast, was constructed on the site of the former speedway.
As of 2025, Six Flags New England currently features a dozen rollercoasters, New England’s largest waterpark, and is home to more than 100 rides, shows, and attractions.